SUBANG JAYA, Sept 20 — Johor women shooters created a sensation en route to bagging the gold medal in the 10-metre (m) air pistol team event in the 20th Malaysia Games (Sukma) at the Subang National Shooting Range here today.
And they did it in style.
The trio of Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Arifin, elder sister Nurul Heryani Arfida Mohd Arifin and Mumtazah Syahidah Shamsuri scored 1699 points to break the previous mark of 1692 set by Nurul Syasya, Nurul Heryani and Khairulnabiha Baharin at a meet here two years ago.
Selangor took silver with 1670 points while the Federal Territories settled for bronze with 1648 points.
Commenting on their victory, Nurul Syasya, 22, described it as a remarkable feat, adding that this would be her final appearance in Sukma.
“We were not targeting the national record for the team event, so we were quite surprised when we achieved it. And I managed to do it with my sister, who is making her Sukma debut, so I am happy and satisfied,” she said when met by reporters.
It was a day of double joy for national shooter Nurul Syasya as she also won the individual gold, scoring 235.1 points ahead of Selangor’s Dina Batrisyia Adi Azhar (232.0 pts) and Mumtazah Syahidah (209.5 pts).
Pahang’s men, meanwhile, proved unstoppable in the individual and team categories of the 25m pistol and 50m rifle events.
In the men’s team 25m pistol event, Azrul Akmal Zulkefli, Muhammad Adib Abu Hassan Ashairi and Putera Muhammad Akram Idham Zunaidi collected 1693 points to bag gold ahead of Johor (1650 pts) and Selangor (1635 pts).
Azrul Akmal (568 pts) then bagged the men’s individual 25m pistol gold, with Muhammad Adib (565 pts) taking silver and Sarawak’s Justin Joannes Anak Kelukin (563 pts) settling for the bronze.
In the men’s team 50m rifle prone event, Pahang (1731 pts) emerged victorious, followed by silver medallists Negri Sembilan (1726 pts) and bronze medallists Perak (1723 pts).
Pahang’s Izzudin Muhammad Shafri (580 pts) then won the men’s individual 50m rifle prone gold ahead of Negri Sembilan’s Muhammad Hasief Azrin (579 pts) and teammate Ahmad Zaffin Kushairie Mohd Azman (579 pts). — Bernama
